Black Beauty theme

The Value of Kindness and LoveFrom the very beginning of the book, kindness and treating others well is a main focus. Duchess raised Black Beauty to value kindness from the time he was a very young foal, and he obeyed his mother’s wish throughout his life. As a result, even though he was mistreated badly and often, in the end he ended up back in a kind and loving home with people he could love and trust.Mistreatment of AnimalsBeing raised a Quaker, Anna’s believed in the importance of showing love for all and compassion for those less fortunate, an attitude that extended to the animals in her life. Horses in Victorian England were used in industry and often treated badly. If Anna and her mother saw a horse being mistreated, they were appalled and often made the horse's owner aware of their disapproval.This mistreatment in England was best symbolized by the bearing rein, also know as a check rein in the United States. The bearing rein was used on horse-drawn carriages and carts, and was connected from the animal’s bit to the harness. It served no purpose other than to keep the horses’ head high. While this was a fashionable appearance, in London especially, it gave the animal’s neck an unnatural curve and was quite uncomfortable for them.At the beginning of the twentieth century in England, the story of Black Beauty led to the abolition of the bearing rein. Along with this, the humane treatment of horses in England and abroad was viewed with greater understanding, kindness and compassion.Moral BehaviorSewell’s Victorian beliefs about morality appear in her book through the actions and words of both equines and humans. An example of this is in the message Beauty’s mother gives him about growing up to be gentle and good, to never learn bad ways and do work with a good will.This advice holds true for Sewell’s human readers as well. She created the character of John Manly, whose beliefs on moral behavior are displayed through his kindness to horses and lectures to other